The Natural Order of Things
by misfyt
Summary: Neville was never meant to notice Draco, and Draco most definitely was not meant to notice Neville. It just went against the natural order of things! A delightfully funny NevilleDraco slash fic!
1. The little greenhouse of horrors

It was an odd thing, to be sure. Not that Draco Malfoy generally confessed to ever noticing Neville Longbottom, but this incident couldn't help but stand out in his mind. Draco had been sent to the greenhouses in search of some blackthorn for a potion he and Professor Snape had been working on. Having retrieved said item successfully, Draco couldn't help but be mildly distracted on his way back to the dungeons. There are, after all, some _very_ interesting plants in the greenhouses of Hogwarts. One plant in particular caught Draco's immediate attention. It is not everyday that one comes across plants with teeth. He was in the process of prodding the betoothed plant in order to awaken it when he was caught off his guard by someone shouting it him rather loudly.

"Jesus Christ, Malfoy get the fuck away that!"

Draco managed to jump away from the plant just in time for the long sharp teeth to bite down exactly where his hand used to be. Neville Longbottom rushed up to him from behind and deliberately shoved him out of the way and started to mutter some sort of incantation which appeared to appease the plant and send it back into hibernation. Draco was very upset by this ordeal and was about to launch into a rather long diatribe on why such plants like that shouldn't be allowed to exist when a very different thought grabbed hold of his mind. 

-Neville Longbottom swears?-

Draco shook his head firmly, as if it might help process this information. It wasn't helping. Neville Longbottom was a hopeless, pathetic, fat, near squib, who never used any language harsher than "darn" or when really pressed, "oh fudge" and who just told him to fuck off.

"Malfoy, did you hear what I just said?"

Draco shook his head again and was about to answer that, no, he hadn't heard, but then he realized that actually did.

"You told me to fuck off," Draco said with all the confusion, disbelief, and awe usually reserved for virgins being told that they had been visited by the Holy Spirit and were to give birth to a son via immaculate conception.

Neville himself was beginning to get weirded out. For starters, no one ever came into his corner of the Greenhouse, and if they did they most certainly did not stay long enough to stand there staring at him with their mouth hanging open as if he'd just grown a second head. For that matter, forget about staring at him, people generally never even looked his way, so all in all, this prolonged looking was making him very nervous indeed. He'd managed to finally get to the point in his seven years at Hogwarts where he avoided stupidity long enough to maintain anonymity and it was very disturbing to once again be under the scrutiny of others. 

"Look, Malfoy, I'm busy and I'm not interested in these games, so please just fuck off."

With one last confused glance at the boy who never swore who just swore, Draco finally managed to wander out of the greenhouse. It's not that Draco was ever interested in anything Neville Longbottom ever did, in fact the general assumption was that he was an extremely uninteresting and completely forgettable person. All that aside, though, Draco couldn't stop trying to figure out if Neville had actually always sworn and he just never noticed it.

************ * * * *

Draco, as was his usual habit, once again completely forgot all about Neville Longbottom and his loquationary habits. The world had once again set itself to right and Draco was a self important prig and Neville Longbottom was an uninteresting nobody. That is, until a week later when Draco ran out of Andol Root. As Draco entered the greenhouse, he noticed Neville standing there just next to the entrance. He half expected Neville to tell him to fuck off again, but he didn't. At first this struck Draco as odd, but then he remembered that being told to fuck off by Neville Longbottom was supposed to be the odd part. Neville quietly standing by himself next to the greenhouse was the Natural Order of Things. Yes, Draco concluded that all was indeed right with the world. Neville Longbottom was simply performing his designated role in society by leaning against the greenhouse all by himself and smoking a cigarette. Draco was about to leave the greenhouse behind, Andol root in hand, when a nagging thought in the back of his mind caused him to stop.

-Neville Longbottom doesn't smoke, does he?-

Draco turned around and after a great deal of effort, managed to contort his mind to accept the fact that, at the very least, it certainly looked like Neville was smoking. Neville, for his part, was at a total loss as to why he was the subject of scrutiny. This was his place in the world, standing alone outside the Greenhouses. No one ever bothered him or even noticed him and he couldn't possibly imagine what he had done to set an unbalance in things. Neville glanced down at himself, then glanced around him, turning around to discretely check his reflection in the glass walls of the greenhouse, just to make sure that he hadn't, in fact, grown another head. As far as he could tell all was completely normal. He looked back as Draco, completely perplexed. The only abnormal thing about this whole situation appeared to be Draco Malfoy. Now that he thought about it, it occurred to him that Draco Malfoy generally was not supposed to be hanging out around the greenhouse holding freshly dug Andol Roots and staring at people with his mouth hanging open. No, this was definitely not the Natural Order of Things. Neville concluded that there most certainly was nothing wrong with himself and that this unusual situation must be a direct result of there being something amiss with Draco Malfoy.

Draco finally wandered off, muttering something to himself and shaking and scratching his head in the contemplative way that people are often wont to do. Though, Neville noted with some interest, he was using the hand which held the freshly dug Andol Root, thus leaving behind clumps of soil in his normally pristine platinum hair. Yes, there was most certainly something wrong with Draco Malfoy. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


	2. The dance of the sugar plum fairy

Neville was a solitary creature for the most part, or at least he learned to become one. Any attempts he had made to be accepted by his peers had generally proven fatal and the day came when he realized that any further attempts would simply be a waste of his time. One thing that Neville was very good at was observing people; sitting on the sidelines will develop that skill in any one. He often found it delightfully ironic that he could probably know more about a person just by watching him, then that same person's friends would ever know. The thing about friendships, Neville observed, is that they generally served very selfish purposes. People generally weren't friends with a person unless that person could regularly contribute something to the friendship. Being clever and funny, he found, were two essential elements to friendships. Harry was friends with Ron, for example, because he was funny, and he was friends with Hermione because she was clever. Were Hermione terribly stupid, there would be very little to recommend herself to the position of best friend, no matter how loyal she might be to Harry. Devotion counts for something, if all a person is looking for is a lackey. Crabbe and Goyle, for example are neither amusing nor clever, yet Malfoy apparently wasn't looking for a couple of friends so much as a couple of guys to hang around him.

Neville's thoughts paused for some time on the topic of Draco Malfoy. He was an odd character, that one, no mistaking that. Normally he wasn't the type of person Neville would stop to long enough to think about save to register in his mind "Malfoy, Draco: Slytherin and all around right bastard." But after his odd behavior in the Greenhouse, it had occurred to Neville that there was something… off about Malfoy. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he was certain that there was something incredibly abnormal about the boy, if he could only figure it out. It was this very train of reasoning that led Neville to start watching Draco Malfoy. The results of his study were surprising to say the least. 

Starting at breakfast the next morning, Neville began his study into "the mystery that is Draco Malfoy." It was a bit of a peculiar thing, for Neville never glanced towards the Slytherin table during meals, it simply wasn't done. Now as he did look, though, he found that it was a bit strange. He always supposed that any sort of amusement that went on over at that side of the hall would involve evilness and shifty glances and a fair amount of plotting to take over the world. What he saw surprised him greatly. For the most part, the main difference between the Slytherin table and the Gryffindor table was the fact that everyone was wearing green and silver ties as opposed to red and gold. They all seemed to be joking about merrily and chatting up a storm and on some occasions, flirting subtly or even flirting outrageously in the case of Pansy Parkinson. Neville glanced back to his own table and confirmed the fact that the behavioral patterns seemed remarkably similar. 

Turning his head back to the Slytherins Neville searched out Draco Malfoy. There he was, dwarfed by his two companions, who flanked him on either side. Crabbe and Goyle were chatting amiably with each other over Malfoy's head. If being left out of the conversation bothered Malfoy, he didn't show it. In fact, he seemed more than content to ignore them right back. Draco sat there eating primly with a smug look on his face as he glanced about at his housemates. It was a rather odd thing, because though he had a look of superiority plastered over his face, Neville began to realize, that Malfoy had no friends. Even more odd was the fact that Malfoy appeared to honestly not care. He carried himself in such a way that would lead one to believe that he was a king surveying his subjects, rather than a social reject looking at all the popular kids. But that was the odd thing, wasn't it; no one would think of Draco Malfoy as unpopular, the thought was unheard of. Neville decided that this matter needed some serious looking into.

*

Over the next few days, Neville kept a close watch on Draco Malfoy. All meal times were fairly uneventful and all seemed to involve Draco Malfoy simply eating primly and looking out across at his housemates, none of whom he ever talked to. During class, Neville noticed that the behavior was fairly similar. Malfoy mostly seemed intent on his class work and rarely spoke to his housemates anymore than was strictly necessary. He did, of course, spend a fair bit of time harassing and generally laughing at the Gryffindors. For the most part, Neville had to admit that Malfoy mostly came across as a snob, nothing new there. After a week, Neville realized that he was no closer to uncovering the truth of Draco Malfoy than he had been at the beginning of the week. The problem seemed to be that Malfoy simply guarded himself far too closely for any amount of observation on Neville's part to be fruitful. Finally, though, on Friday night, Neville made a breakthrough.

Neville spent that Friday night as he always did, alone in the Greenhouse. He always felt the most content and at ease with himself when he was there. He knew that he could completely be himself and no one would make fun of him. He also knew that no one would ever barge in on him and spoil his fun, except, of course, for those two instances with Malfoy. Neville was just pondering that thought when the very Slytherin in question waltzed through the door. It was quite clear that Malfoy hadn't noticed Neville, so he simply sat back quietly and observed. It didn't take long for it to occur to Neville that there were at least two things very odd about Malfoy's behavior. Primarily, it was very odd for any young man to choose to spend his Friday night collecting Belladonna and Demphel Blossoms, and secondarily, even if a young man did choose to do so, it seemed most uncommon for him to whistle "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" whilst doing so. And, of course, if Neville really felt like adding a third item to the list, he could always point out the fact that it was somewhat odd for him to occasionally pause his whistling in order to make idle chit chat with the plants. Of course Neville was a bit hesitant in adding any of these to a list of "very odd behavior for a young man" on the grounds that it would be self incriminating as well, but then, Neville always knew he was a bit queer.

"You know, if you're up to taking requests I happen to know that that Demphel plant is quite fond of Beethovin, though generally I'd recommend "Fur Elise" or "Moonlight Sonata" in favor of such pieces as his "Fifth Symphony," though you never know, the results could be quite fascinating."

Draco probably jumped about a foot into the air when he realized he wasn't alone in the Greenhouse.

"What on earth are you doing here, Longbottom?" Malfoy shouted once he finally spotted the disturber of his solitude.

"Oh, I'm sorry I was under the impression that this was my corner of the Greenhouse, but don't let me disturb you if you were under the allusion that it was yours."

"Don't be silly Longbottom, you don't own this Greenhouse."

"Well, no, of course not; I'm fairly sure that it belongs to the school. I merely implied that this particular corner of this Greehouse was my corner. These are my plants."

"_Your_ plants? What, all of these?"

"Yes, everything up till that aisle over there. I grew them all from seeds, so they're _my_ plants."

Draco was rather put out by the way this conversation was unfolding and he was desperately searching for some sort of scathing remark that would be applicable to the situation, but even Draco Malfoy couldn't come up with a way in which to make Neville Longbottom feel inadequate for being the owner of the plants that Malfoy had been steeling from. In the end he settled for, "Are you telling me that you recreationally _grow_ plants?"

"I've never personally put it quite that way. One could just as easily suggest that you recreationally gather plants in a… little wicker basket."

Draco looked down at the basket of stolen goods that he was holding with something akin to guilt, but then again it may have been embarrassment.

"Is there any reason why you appear to have an interest in my plants? There are other greenhouses full of plants, you know."

"Well, yours happen to be the ones I want. Demphel isn't all that easy to come by, you know, there was none at all to be found in Snape's stores."

"Since they are justifiably my plants, might I ask what it is that you're doing with them?"

"I was going to make a potion with them," Draco said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"For extra credit or something?"

"No, I just felt like brewing a potion."

"So…you claim to spend your Friday nights recreationally brewing potions?"

"And you spend you Friday nights recreationally growing plants, what's the problem?"

"No problem at all. I just assumed you'd want to spend the weekend doing something a bit more fun. I mean, most of the houses have parties on Friday night, I'm assuming Slytherin is the same."

"Yes, well I must confess that spending my evening with a room full of morons on a sugar high isn't exactly my idea of fun."

"Heh, that's funny. I swear, that's exactly how I would describe the Gryffindor commons room on a Friday night."

Draco smiled a little bit at this. "It's not every day one came across a Gryffindor who would admit to insulting his own housemates."

"I was thinking the same of you, frankly."

"A moron's a moron's a moron, you know. It's just that were expected to live in close quarters with a bunch of them and call them our friends. It wouldn't be so bad if I were able to hex them into next week, but for some reason it's seen as faux pas."

"Hmm, you Slytherin's must have a more structured sense of loyalty than the Gryffindors do, then."

"Now, there's no way you're going to make me believe that the Gryffindors are disloyal. I've never seen a more loyal group of people in my life."

"Loyal to Harry Potter, you mean. That never stopped any of them from hexing _me_. Kind of offensive, really, they'd get all upset that you'd cast a leg locker on me, but did they think twice about casting _petrificus_ _totalis_ on me and leaving me till morning? No!"

Draco couldn't help but laugh at that. "Damn, Longbottom, there aren't a lot of students who can claim to be on the receiving end of hexes from both sides. It must take real skill to be that unwanted."

"Well, you know, it does take effort to be that unpopular, but I had an early start. My family all used me for hexing practice, too. I'm sorry to tell you that you did not hold the unique distinction of being the first to hex me. That distinction would go to my Uncle Elwood. Jelly legs curse, he refused to remove it for a week. Finally my grandmother forced him to take it off."

"Rather reminds me of my childhood, actually," Draco said once he stopped laughing. "My cousins all picked on me cause I was so small. They soon learned not to use me as target practice, though, cause I'd always get back at them. As soon as I got my wand I cursed them all to high heaven."

"Unfortunately I didn't have such a skill with hexes, so that didn't pose itself as a realistic method of revenge for me."

"Is that why you have such a handsome collection of man-eating plants?"

"Maybe…" Neville smirked.

"Well you need to work a bit on your back bone, then. Saving your enemies from being eaten alive by carnivorous vegetation isn't necessarily the best way to enact revenge."

"It's more of a warning for people to fuck off than anything. There aren't a lot of people who would walk up to a plant with four inch long teeth and attempt to wake it up. Besides, I don't mean to hurt your feelings or anything, but It wasn't actually planted with you in mind."

"And yet you did tell me to fuck off."

"And yet _you_ refuse to go."

"That must be my open invite to fuck off then," Draco said with one raised eyebrow.

"Yes, please do, or next time I shall simply have to feed you to the plant personally in order to be rid of you."

Neville shook his head firmly when he found himself once again alone in his domain, trying to compose his thoughts. It occurred to him in a flash that the answer he'd been looking for all that week was perfectly obvious. Malfoy really _was_ a geek without friends. A _snobby_ _bastard_ geek without friends, albeit, but nonetheless a geek without friends. No doubt about it, no one other than a geek without friends would spend their Friday night brewing potions for the fun of it.

*

  
The next time Draco ran into Neville was three days later. Once again Neville was guarding the entrance to his Greenhouse by leaning against the glass wall and smoking a cigarette. 

"Come to pilfer some more of my plants?"

"I thought I might. As it so happens I noticed some rather attractive Foxfern among your collection."

"Help yourself," Neville said nonchalantly, indicating with a wave of his hand that Draco should go on in. 

"You smoke?" He asked, when Draco reappeared.

"When I get the chance, they're rather difficult to get your hands on, though."

Neville didn't respond right away as he busied himself rolling a cigarette for Draco. After lighting it with his own cigarette and handing it to Draco he finally responded, "it's easy enough if you've got a greenhouse with man-eating plants guarding the entrance."

Draco grinned and nodded appreciatively as he took a drag on the cigarette. "So don't tell me _that's_ the real reason you planted those things!"

Neville shook his head. "No, I told you, it was to keep out certain unwanted visitors."

"Actually, all you said was that it _wasn't_ to keep _me_ out, which, quite frankly, I'm still a little hurt by."

Neville snorted out a laugh, but otherwise said nothing.

"Well?" 

"Well, what?"

"Aren't you going to tell me who the plants are for?"

Neville rolled his eyes but eventually said, "Ron Weasley."

"Okay, I respect that. So what did the weasel do to deserve man-eating plants?"

"He claimed that he was attempting to defend his sister's honour."

"What'd you do? Knock her up?"

"Not bloody likely! All I did was refuse to date her, but she went crying to her big brother and he came and tried to hex me into oblivion."

"Well, that seems rather lame, no offence, but that seems like a rather weak excuse to be that angry at someone."

"Tell that to a Weasley," Neville said with a scoff. "It seems that he didn't believe my excuse for not wanting to date her and claimed that I was insulting his sister by making up lies like that."

"Personally I believe that lying is a perfectly respectful way to get rid of unwanted admirers. I mean, some of those silly bints simply cannot take a hint. Although I'm surprised that you found it necessary. It's not like you've got girls hanging around you in swarms, no offence."

"Oh, I didn't lie. I just said Weasley didn't believe me. And as you pointed out, it isn't as though I'm continually surrounded by a harem of girls, so why he didn't believe that I'm gay is beyond me."

Draco suddenly found himself choking quite violently on his cigarette smoke. 

"You know they say smoking will kill you," Neville said before taking one long last drag on his cigarette and stamping it out with his foot. "See you round, Malfoy."

-Since when is Neville Longbottom Queer?- Draco wondered to himself as he attempted to return his breathing to some semblance of normal. Not that Draco felt he had any idea what was normal anymore.


	3. Snape's worst nightmare

Draco spent the whole of the next week trying to avoid Neville Longbottom. Not that wasn't at all interested in having a chance to chat with him. On the contrary, Draco found himself singularly desirous of Neville's company. Therein lay the problem. Draco Malfoy was in no way supposed to find Neville amusing to hang out with. The fact that he did was becoming very disturbing. 

It wasn't long, however, before Draco simply had to go to the greenhouse to pick up some Whythrin buds which he desperately needed for a potion. He strictly ignored the irritating part of his brain that kept telling him that searching though book after book till he found a potion that called for the plant did not count as "desperately needing" it. One shouldn't listen to the voices in one's head anyway.

When he entered the Greenhouse, however, he was very disappointed to find that Neville was not there.

-_Not disappointed, not disappointed_- Draco kept repeating to himself.

He paused, however, unsure as to whether he should still take the Whythrin buds. Technically there wasn't any point to doing so, as he was only going to brew the potion as an excuse to go and steal Neville's plants. On the other hand, not taking the plant would be admitting that he had in fact come to the greenhouse with the sole intent of seeing Neville. And that was definitely a disturbing thought. Draco paused in thought in the middle of the greenhouse for quite a bit of time trying to make up his mind on the subject.

He was still standing there undecided when Neville returned to the greenhouses. Neville was quite amused to find Draco there when he arrived, as it had been Draco whom he'd been looking for when he left. 

"You know, since it's technically stealing anyway, you really needn't wait around for my permission."

"Oh! I….well… I mean….that is to say….I thought you lived in the greenhouse."

Draco mentally beat himself up quite thoroughly_. –Of all the things to say, you had to say something that stupid?-_

Neville just laughed.

"No, I don't live in the Greenhouse. Although I must say I'm surprised; I was quite certain you lived in the Dungeons, and yet I finally find you here instead."

"Oh…um….finally find?"

"Yes, I was looking for you in the potions lab, but Snape told me you had come here."

"Really!? You were looking for me? And you had a civil conversation with Snape!?"

"I never said I had a civil conversation with Snape. For my part all I managed to stutter out was your name and then Snape said "Bugger of Longbottom! Malfoy's gone to your stupid Greenhouse."

Draco laughed nervously; somehow it was comforting that at some level Neville was still pathetic.

"So….you were looking for me?"

"Yeah, I was thinking you might do me a favor in exchange for me letting you steal my plants."

"What kind of favor?"

"I actually needed a certain potion for one of my plants. The Moonfern here has been looking rather pathetic as of late and I found a recipe for a potion that could help it out. As I'm sure you're aware, I'm complete crap at potions."

"So you wanted me to brew a potion for you?"

"Well, at least you could help me brew it, or…something."

"I'm sure I could work….something out."

A huge grin spread across Neville's face.

"Thanks, you're a real friend."

"Are we friends now, then? That's new." Draco tried desperately to appear cool and aloof, despite the fact that his heart was pounding a million times a second. He'd never had a friend before, and this was all terribly new and stressful and exciting at the same time.

"Sure. I figure anyone who agrees that Ron Weasley is a complete turd is a friend of mine."

Draco wasn't at all sure what the correct protocol was for this type of situation. Should he just smile? Should he say thanks? Should he return the gesture? Should they shake hands on it? In the end, he was so stressed out over the whole ordeal, that all he could manage to do was to stand there looking slightly stupid and blushing. 

Neville just cleared his throat and tried to pretend that he didn't notice Draco blushing. It seemed the only polite thing to do despite the fact that he thought Draco Malfoy blushing was a sight spectacular enough to be listed as one of the natural wonders of the Wizarding World. 

"So…as soon as you're free to help me with this potion, you just let me know. And as I said, feel free to come and take my plants whenever you want."

"Thanks. I guess I'll see you around then." Slowly and awkwardly and tripping once, as he was walking backwards, Draco left the greenhouse.

Neville noted that Draco left without taking any plants with him.

* * *

The first thing Draco did as soon as he left the Greenhouse and regained some semblance of coherent thought, was make his way back to the Dungeons to see Professor Snape. 

Draco was pleased to be back in his familiar habitat as he made his way towards the potions lab. Though there was something strangely exhilarating about being in Neville's Greenhouse, the fact that he never knew what was going to happen next always left him feeling somewhat out of control, vulnerable, and thoroughly exhausted. In the Dungeons he was in control and for the most part always knew what was going to happen. Although, he did note as he kicked a stray Hufflepuff across the corridor, that there was something a little bit boring about predictability.

Snape, of course, was in the lab brewing a potion. That was something you could always depend on.

"Professor Snape, sir."

"Malfoy. I presume Longbottom found you?"

"Yes, sir. Um…. Sir…."

"Stop staying sir and get on with it. By now you'd think I'd be able to tell when you wanted something of me."

"Right. Could I borrow the potions lab sometime, please?"

"Considering the fact that you spend most of your free time using the lab facilities anyway, I must assume that you mean for me not to be here at the time." A raised eyebrow from Snape met a carefully calculated and completely disbelieved blank stare from Malfoy. "I'd bother asking if that were overly presumptuous of me if I honestly thought I had a chance of being wrong. I'm not wrong, am I?"

Malfoy shook his head.

"You aren't planning on brewing something illegal or potentially dangerous, are you?"

"No sir, I swear it!"

"And you aren't bringing a girl here to fool around?"

"Definitely not! I'd never even _think_ doing such a thing."

"Or a boy?"

At this Malfoy faltered. It was a thought that had honestly not entered his head up till that point even briefly, but the thought of it now definitely caught him off his guard. 

"N… no. Honestly sir. We're just going to brew a potion."

"So there _is_ someone else."

Malfoy cursed himself to hell and back for having made such a stupid error.

"Just a… friend, that's all. He wanted help with a potion since I owed him a favor."

Snape raised his eyebrow some more for good measure. He couldn't deny, though, that Malfoy did appear to be sincere if not slightly flustered. 

"Very well. Tomorrow night after supper I'll leave the lab open for you and your _friend_. But I warn you, if I return and find that you've lied to me you'll live to regret it."

"Oh thank you!" Draco beamed as he turned to leave.

"And Malfoy, I assure you that I have a very good nose. I'll know if you've lied."

Draco blushed as he hurried out of the room. Once Snape was left alone again he let out the violent shudder that he'd been suppressing. He had a serious suspicion that whatever Draco had in mind had something to do with Neville Longbottom and no matter what it was, none of the possibilities were anything less than horrifying. 

* * *

Neville clutched the message he'd received by owl in one hand and smoked a cigarette in the other as he busied himself around the Greenhouse. The message told him that Draco had secured the Potions lab for the two of them that night, so Neville was trying to make sure he had whatever it was that he would need. Namely the recipe itself and whatever ingredients he could supply himself. He tried to maintain as cool and calm as he generally tried to do around Draco, but truth be told, he was beginning to feel a little out of his element. 

The problem was that he felt comfortable in his Greenhouse, surrounded by his plants. He was in charge and in control when he was there, but tonight he was going to step outside of his environment and go down to the potions lab of all places.

"What the fuck was I thinking?" Neville asked himself not for the first time that evening as he took a long drag on his cigarette, attempting desperately to calm his nerves. 

He had the worst feeling that something horrible was going to happen. Perhaps most disconcerting to Neville was that he had this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach as though this were a landmark event in his life along the same lines of getting your wand or going on your first date.

"I never said it was a date!" Neville spoke exasperatedly to himself.

__

-But it feels like one, doesn't it?- 

"No it doesn't! I am going to go and brew a potion, that is all. Frankly, it more resembles a lesson in self mutilation than a date. Why did I ever think this was a good idea?"

__

-Because you were too excited at the prospect of spending more time with Draco Malfoy to realize that you turn into a complete idiot when you come anywhere near the potions lab?-

"It was a rhetorical question, God damn it!" 

* * *

Down in the dungeons, Draco was, surprisingly enough, not too much better off than Neville. Snape was as good as his word and left Draco alone in the potions lab. Part of Draco wished, however, that he wasn't left quite so alone, since sitting there by himself nervously fidgeting and waiting for Neville was making quite ill at ease. 

"What the fuck was I thinking?" Draco asked aloud, unknowingly repeating Neville's own mantra.

Draco was honestly almost pissed off with himself. He was supposed to feel calm and at one with the world; the potions lab was where he belonged. But despite that, Draco was completely stressed out. 

Ever since Snape made that comment about fooling around with a boy, Draco couldn't get it out of his head. Why would Snape even think such a thing? What if that was what Neville assumed they were going to be doing? What if Draco made a fool of himself by assuming that they honestly were going to brew a potion? Why did he have to arrange for the two of them to be alone in the potions lab? But what if that wasn't what Neville assumed they were doing? What if he somehow came across as desperate to Neville?

By the time Neville finally showed up holding a handful of plants and _"Potions for Herbologists" _Draco was in such a wound up state that he ended up falling off of the stool he had been sitting on. 

"Merlin! Are you all right?" Neville set down the book and the plants and rushed over to help Draco up.

"I'm fine! It's just… um… an inner ear problem." 

Draco was surprised to find himself quite suddenly pulled to his feet and standing very close to Neville. It took about a second for his brain to assess that Neville was a few inches taller than himself, radiated quite a lot of body heat, smelled really nice, and was probably standing way too close to him. Draco contemplated briefly whether he should feign a fainting spell so that he could lean a bit closer to Neville, but before he even finished his thought, Neville settled the matter by backing away from him.

"So, anyway… I've got the potions book here and a fair amount of the ingredients," Neville said, slightly uneasily as he headed back to the table where he had dropped his stuff off. "I'm assuming that the other ingredients wont be difficult to get."

If Draco had any idea at all, he would have been immensely impressed with Neville's acting skills. As it was, he was far too preoccupied with honing his own skills as an actor.

"Right, well let's have a look at the potion we're going to make and get started," Draco said, completely belying the fact that that he felt as though his heart were about to explode from beating so fast.

Neville opened his book up to the right page and the two boys stood side by side both pretending that they were reading the list of potion ingredients. The words washed over them in a complete blur as the only thing either of them was aware of was the proximity of the other boy. As tempting as it was for Draco to ponder the wonders of having his hip brush against Neville's, he knew that his honour as a Slytherin was a stake if he couldn't manage to brew a proper potion under pressure. 

__

-You can do this, Draco- Draco thought to himself. _-Just think of something non distracting- _

Suddenly an image flashed through Draco's head of him moaning with his head thrown back and his legs wrapped lewdly around Neville.

__

-Fuck- 

Well, at least it's not like Draco had never brewed a potion with a hard-on before. 

__

To be continued…


End file.
